The musical and movie adaptations of “Wicked” are based on Gregory Maguire’s book. The Broadway version of “Wicked” has had great success, amassing three million dollars from the box office over the week of Thanksgiving.
Fans had high expectations following the Broadway adaptation of “Wicked” featuring Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Kristen Chenoweth as Glinda. These two left big shoes to fill for the upcoming cast which starred Cynthia Erivo as Ephaba and Ariana Grande as Glinda.
Prior to the movie, a lot of “Wicked” fans were concerned Ariana Grande would distance herself from the original Glinda and sing some of the original songs in a pop style. However, Grande decided to stick by the original portrayal of Glinda and delivered a perfect performance as Glinda. She embodied both her outwardly sweet nature while also accounting for her tendency to side with the status quo. Grande’s vocal performance was effortless and captured the yodel and floaty tone of Glinda’s voice.
Similar to Grande, Erivo had a stunning performance. Erivo portrayed both the power and vulnerability of her character. Erivo had the perfect voice for the role of Elphaba, as it is powerful and controlled. This performance could make Erivo a front-runner for Best Lead Actress at the Oscars.
The only factor that could be improve throughout the movie was Glinda’s makeup. Glinda’s makeup was flat and didn’t have any blush or brightening effect. It’s clear that trying to dim Glinda’s character to show she may not always be as bubbly as she seems, but a significant part of Glinda’s character is that she has a bubbly, bright exterior but internally is not bubbly or bright.
This movie was full of showstopping performances. Notably, Jonathan Bailey has captured the hearts of fans after his performance as Fiyero and vocal performance singing “Dancing through Life.” Other standout songs were “Defying Gravity” with the beautiful harmony of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo and “Popular,” another famous song from the Broadway adaptation.
“Wicked” is full of incredible moments while also incorporating more serious topics. Erivo’s character Elphaba faces prejudice from those around her because her skin tone is green, directly referencing the United States history of racial discrimination. Furthermore, Glinda only cares about standing up to injustice to please others, rather than to make a change in her community.
Through the Wizard and Madame Morrible, the movie also explores the impact of living in a fascist society that harms those who speak out against the government and only uses citizens for what they can get in return.
The Wicked movie was full of powerful discourse and remarkable performances, making it very deserving of its recognition to come.
